Hiking Tours in Europe

On most trips, yes. One bag per person, usually up to 44 lb (20 kg), goes ahead while you hike with a daypack. Some remote hut nights are the exception, and on Walker's Haute Route you carry your own kit every day. Each tour page gives the details.

Yes, on many trips, with a solo supplement because some costs aren't shared. A few tough Alpine routes, including Walker's Haute Route and the E5 Alpine Crossing, aren't available to solo travelers. Every tour page states its solo policy.

Yes. Our trips are self-guided, so you set the pace. You get route notes, maps and GPX tracks in the Macs app, plus 24/7 emergency phone support. Most routes are well waymarked, like Switzerland's yellow signposts.

A week covers most trips. Short breaks start at 5 days, and long-distance trails take longer: 15 days for Walker's Haute Route, 18 for the Via Alpina and 40 for the Full Camino from St Jean Pied de Port.

Fly into a hub such as Zurich or Geneva for the Swiss Alps, or Munich, Innsbruck or Salzburg for Austria, then take the train or bus. Many trips start and finish at a rail station. Your information pack covers how to reach the start.

Broken-in boots, hiking poles, a waterproof jacket and warm layers, as mountain weather changes fast. Bring luggage you can handle on trains. For dorm nights in mountain huts, pack a sleeping-bag liner. Your kit list comes with your booking.

It depends on the grade. Easy-Moderate trips like Best of the Bernese Oberland have hikes of 2.5 to 9 miles that you can shorten by train or cable car. Strenuous treks need excellent fitness and previous high mountain experience.